Posted by
John Crutchfield on Wednesday, December 31, 2008 8:56:58 PM
Here we go again. Israel and radical Islam are at it again, trying to settle the issue of who should have the right to occupy the Holy Land. How many times in our lifetimes have we had to endure the recurring theme of this story? Worse yet, how many more times will we have to endure it?
I was a teenager when I first became aware of the turmoil and resentment that was brewing around the world. The year was 1965 and one of my favorite songs was "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire. Yes, it was considered a protest song by many, but it brought to my consciousness some of the culture clashes around the world. I was particularly struck by the line: "And even the Jordan River has bodies floatin'". There was no way I could have anticipated we'd still be talking about this fourty three years later.
Through the decades we've seen conflict after conflict erupt in the Middle East only to be followed by cries for a ceasfire. Palestinians, unhappy with the Israeli "occupation", begin to lob rockets into Israeli neighborhoods and send suicide bombers into crowded marketplaces. Israel responds by striking back hard with rockets, tanks and whatever is available to send a message that terrorist agression against Jews will not be tolerated. The Palestinians are beaten back, immediately assume the role of victim of Israeli agression and the global news agencies are only too happy to present them as such.
We've seen I don't know how many photo-op sessions with nearly every president I can recall, standing between Middle Eastern leaders of the day signing some kind of peace accord or whatever you laughingly want to call it. The US steps in and buys some peace and quiet by throwing a few hundred million of our money at the combatants. The leaders go home and two weeks later, another rocket slams into a Jewish neighborhood and the whole thing starts all over again.
I'm growing a little weary of it all and I can only imagine how God must feel about the way mankind is desecrating His Holy Land. Wouldn't it be nice if He would just settle it once and for all?